Ovarian Cancer - Highlights

Highlights

Disease Overview

An estimated 22,250 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005. The disease typically affects women age 60 and older, although it can develop at any age. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer in women with no family history of the disease is approximately 1.4%. Women whose mother or sister had ovarian cancer have a 5% risk.

Treatment

• Ovarian cancer surgery may involve removal of one or both ovaries and the uterus. If this fails to remove the entire tumor, a procedure called debulking (cytoreduction) may also be performed.
• Standard chemotherapy regimens are either caroboplatin (Paraplatin) or a combination of cisplatin (Platinol) plus paclitaxel (Taxol). Carboplatin and cisplatin are platinum-based agents. Other drugs may also be used.
• Radiation is rarely used as the primary treatment.

Research

• Women with stage 1 cancer may benefit from surgery combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. However, more research is needed to determine who would best respond to this adjuvant chemotherapy.
• The CA-125 blood test may be better than CT scans in evaluating tumor growth and predicting survival in patients with recurrent cancer who have been treated with topotecan or paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy.
• A second surgical debulking does not reduce cancer progression or prolong survival for women with recurrent cancer.
• Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy reduces cancer progression but does not prolong overall survival. The surgical procedure, which is sometimes performed on women with advanced ovarian cancer, removes aortic and pelvic lymph nodes from the rear of the abdomen.